Hanging By A Moment
by Valentine'sNinja
Summary: She was a bad girl. She was sarcastic, explosive, stubborn. She was trouble. Everything his father didn't want him to bring home. But what was it about her that drew him like a moth to a flame? PaineBaralai, Highschool Fic!
1. TNT

Hello! This is my very first fic for FFX-2, and I've decided to go for Paine/Barali because I absolutely love this pairing. There will be mentions of Tidus/Yuna, Rikku/Gippal, and some Wakka/Lulu, but the main pairing is Paine & 'Lai. Next, I want you to know that this is an AU high school fic, I'm aware that there's quite a few out there, but none really focus on Paine and Baralai, so this one will. Don't be afraid to criticize or to comment and also be aware that there may be some OOC for some characters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X-2, or any of the characters used in this piece of fiction. I am making no money off of them. They are property of Square Enix!

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**Hanging By A Moment**

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_**TNT**_

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It was a new year for the students of Spira High School. Many were excited, others were annoyed, some were already planning on how to defy school security to commit acts of vandalism or to skip classes. At the front of the school, a group of girls and a few guys were waiting for one of their friends.

"You know," said one guy, running a hand through his blond hair. "We should just get to homeroom. Did you honestly think that Paine would get to school on time? Even when it's the first day?"

"We made her promise!" exclaimed his friend, a pretty girl with sun-kissed blonde hair, and swirling green eyes. "She always keeps her promises to Yunie!" she exclaimed, waving a hand to the girl who was holding hands with the guy who had just spoken.

"Maybe she couldn't find the right clothes to wear, ya?" asked the tallest of the guys, a note of sarcasm in his voice as he looked at his girlfriend. "She's more like Lu than anyone knows," he said under his breath.

Lulu's eyes narrowed. "Shut up, Wakka," she snapped.

"There she is!" said Yuna, a sigh of relief coming from her. She was most likely the most nurturing of the girls. She worried about her friends, on whether they made it to class, did their homework, and she generally henpecked them.

The girl in question pulled into the parking lot on a mean looking motorcycle painted with red flames that matched her helmet. She placed the bike near a steel pole and secured it with a thick chain she carried around the seat of the vehicle. She then pulled off her helmet and grabbed a hole-filled backpack that was rarely used. She eyed them all suspiciously with wine-colored eyes and swept her silvery hair away from her face and back into the artful style it had been in before getting flattened by her helmet.

"Are we in a committee again?" she asked in a monotone.

The green-eyed girl, Rikku, bounced over to her and clung to her arm. "You were almost late! We thought that you would get kicked out of school on your first day. Why didn't you call us, you big meanie?" she asked with a pout.

Her boyfriend, a tall, blond young man pulled her away from the irritated looking girl before she physically assaulted his girlfriend. "Leave her alone, Cid's girl," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Bite me, Gippal," snapped Rikku. How she loathed that nick-name, and he called her that just to see her angry.

"Not in public, baby," he murmured before kissing her red cheek.

"Come on Paine, let's go see if we have all our classes together," said Yuna, stepping away from her boyfriend, Tidus, and pulling the gray-haired girl along.

"It's too early on in the year for you to be flipping out on me and worrying about what I do or where I go," muttered Paine as they picked up their schedules and found that they had every single class together, due to the fact that Rikku was the daughter of the person in charge of creating the schedules.

"Well, I just want you to graduate with us all," said Yuna as they walked towards their homeroom.

"You should know that school is not something on my priority list right now. I just don't care," Paine replied.

"Well, maybe you should find a reason to care," Rikku put in, sharing her sour candies with them.

Yuna scrunched her face as the sourness hit her tastebuds. "Why are you eating candy so early?" she asked, gagging a little. Rikku shrugged and decided to give her boyfriend a _very_ thorough kiss. Paine made a face. "Maybe you should find yourself a boy to crush on so that you can have a reason to come to school and go to class everyday."

"That's never gonna happen," Paine replied, walking into their classroom. They all sat down near the back of the class and placed their chairs in a little cluster so that no other students could hear what they were talking about. The teacher said nothing and just proceeded to call attendance when the tardy bell rang.

Paine looked at her friends in slight annoyance. Though she loved Yuna and Rikku to death—though she would never tell them that willingly—and they were like sisters to her, they could be quite bothersome. Rikku was always trying to set her up with random boys, and Yuna was always poking her so that she made it to school each day and mostly on time. Boys were stupid. The last one she had dated had been a few years older than her and had been Rikku's brother's friend. Complicated? Well, so had their relationship been.

Buddy had been cool with her, but they were too different and they had had different views on things. He had also been the jealous type and Paine was by no means an ugly girl. Though sometimes she hated it too, she was curvy and guys stared at her the same way they stared at pretty, innocent Yuna, or fun, cute Rikku, or even mysterious, beautiful Lulu. So Buddy had been prone to attacks of hysteria and jealousy when a guy stared at her ass, or down her shirt. The only big difference between her and her friends now was that her two best friends, and other close friend all had boyfriends. Even though Lulu was always mad at Wakka at the beginning of the day, it was obvious she loved him.

Which brought her back to Rikku's current ramblings about finding her a man that would make school more tolerable for her. Paine merely shot her a dark look and walked out of the class without a word. The teacher said nothing, but Paine knew that she would get in trouble if she was caught without a hall pass. She pulled out her phone and opened it, sending Yuna a quick message that told her she would see her at the next class but she couldn't stand Rikku anymore. Yuna replied an affirmative and told her to stay out of sight.

As she rounded the corner, she came face to back with one of the security guards for the campus. She slowed and made as little noise as possible as she walked backwards and away from the man before he turned and saw her. Crap, this was…? He kind of looked like O'aka? He was the worst of them all and usually made up stories of how he found the students, just to get them into more trouble. Paine contemplated on whether she should do something bad to him when she realized she was in front of the girl's bathroom that had an open window she could get out from.

She walked in quietly and wet a bunch of paper towels before creeping back to where O'aka was still standing, trying to look important and smug as he stopped a few girls and asked them for their hall passes. Paine smirked and hauled back before sending the wad of wet paper towels with deadly accuracy at the guards face. He squawked and Paine took off towards the ladies room, where other girls were standing in front of the mirror. Oh, the look on his face had been priceless! She could hear him cursing outside and asking people if they had been the one to do it, or if they had seen where the perpetrator had gone.

Paine waited in a stall when she heard the door open and the girls protested in high pitched voices. That's when she heard someone call O'aka and demand what he was doing, trying to get into the girls restroom. She snickered silently and waited for the girls to leave before making her way to the window and popping it open, glad that no one had noticed that it was loose yet. She jumped out and landed on her feet before taking off at a quick run. She checked her phone for the time and noticed that the bell would ring in a matter of minutes.

As she rounded the corner and walked into the next building, she slammed into someone tall, making her tumble back and onto her bum. She grunted with the impact and cursed, her eyes focusing on the guy who was also on the floor in front of her.

"Crap, sorry about that," he said, standing and offering her a hand. "Are you okay?"

Paine just looked at the offered appendage and stood easily, on her own. "Watch where you're going next time," she snapped before the bell rang and she walked over to the first class of the day.

He frowned to himself and smoothed a hand down his coat before running a hand through his white hair. What a rude girl. It hadn't been his entire fault that they had run into each other. He'd only turned to look behind him for a moment. He then spotted a phone on the ground and picked it up. She must've dropped it. Well, at least it wouldn't be hard to recognize her again. He was sure that there weren't many girls with silvery hair and red eyes; or with so much leather and buckles. The phone began to shake in his hand and he opened it, seeing the arrival of a message.

Should he just invade her privacy completely? She hadn't even offered an apology or asked if he had hurt himself. He shrugged and read the message as he walked. _Srry bout buggin u, Dr. P. Frgiv me? Rikku._ Dr. P? He snickered and wondered what her real name was as he walked into his first class, which happened to be History of Spira. What a way to begin the morning.

………

The next time he saw her, she was sitting down with her friends at a table during their twenty minute break between their first class and the second. He had started talking with some guys who had invited him to hang around with them. They were currently waiting in line to buy some type of smoothie and chips from the mini-store on campus.

Gippal grinned and shook his head. "Rikku was flipping out yesterday because I asked her to come meet my parents," he commented.

The other blond, Tidus, raised both eyebrows. "You want her to meet your parents? Are you planning on proposing anytime soon?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, mum wants to meet her because she saw Ri's picture in my room, says she looks like a sweet girl. Dad doesn't care. He thinks it isn't serious," Gippal said with a shake of his head as they made it to the front of the line.

"Is it serious?" Wakka asked.

"She's the future mother of my kids," said Gippal with a grin. "What about you, Baralai? You got yourself a girl or two?"

Baralai shook his head and for some reason his thoughts went to the girl in the leather. _Dr. P._ "No. My last girlfriend and I ended because I moved away. We both didn't want the strain of a long distance relationship," he replied.

"Anyone caught your eye yet?" asked Tidus as the girl at the counter handed over him an orange colored smoothie and a carrot cake he claimed was for his girlfriend.

"I ran into this girl in the morning, she was pretty, but rude. I dunno. I kinda can't stop thinking about her," he said with a nervous chuckle.

Wakka slapped him on the back. "Love at first sight, ya? Who is it? Did you get her name?"

Baralai shook his head. "No. She just up and left. She even dropped her phone, but I haven't been able to return it," he replied.

"Well then, that's your chance," Gippal said. "Return it, get her name and maybe she'll reward you with her number."

"I think she'd sooner deck me than talk to me again," said Baralai as he paid for his smoothie and walked with the guys.

"Sounds like Paine," said Tidus.

Baralai was going to ask about who they were talking about when the bell rang.

"Well, at least we have Phys Ed. next, so we can take our smoothie with us," Gippal said as they walked towards the large section where there was a field for track and football, a gym, a pool building, tennis courts, and basketball courts. The guys met up with their girlfriends except for Wakka, whose girlfriend was walking ahead with Dr. P.

Baralai didn't even know why he was calling her that still. It was just funny. Wakka was sulking because his girl was still mad at him about something he had said regarding her clothes. So they walked in pleasant silence as Gippal sweet talked his girlfriend, and kissed her as they walked, almost running into Tidus and his significant other.

They all stood around waiting for the teacher for a few minutes. Then a man walked out and asked for those who were interested in certain sports to sign up on the lists he had. His new friends complained about the school not having Blitzball, so they decided to just stick with swimming, so that they could keep in shape for their side-hobby and to keep an eye on their girls, who were signing up for that class as well.

"You swim?" Tidus asked as they were dismissed and they walked towards the bleachers.

Baralai shook his head. "Nah, call me a geek, but I rather read. I do take a class of sword fighting and fencing, but that's it. I'm not much of a sports person," he replied as he nearly ran into that girl again.

Paine looked up at him and frowned when she recognized him. "You! I thought I told you to watch where you were going."

"Lighten up, Dr. P," said Gippal. "This is our new pall, Baralai. He's gonna hang with us now," he said.

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a bored look. "Whatever," she grumbled as she moved towards Yuna and Lulu.

"Hey," Baralai called.

"What?" she asked dryly.

"You dropped your phone when we ran into each other earlier," he said, handing it over. Tidus, Gippal, and Wakka shared a look of shock. Paine was the girl?

Paine blinked and looked at him strangely. She had thought that she had lost it when she had jumped out the window, but then she remembered she'd had it in her hand when she had ran into him. "Thanks," she said reluctantly.

"You're welcome," he replied, not having the courage to ask her her name in front of all his new friends, who were staring at him with interest.

"Can we get a move on?" Paine asked. They all walked to the bleachers and sat down at the foot of them. Wakka finally made up with Lulu and they were sitting together, holding hands.

Baralai smiled to himself. Her name was Paine, and she defied everything he had ever looked for in a girl. She was rude, sarcastic, painfully straightforward, and she hated cheerleaders and "pretty girls." She got along with the girls in their group splendidly, even though Rikku riled her nerves and Yuna advised her to not skip school anymore.

She was trouble, and he had found this all out in a matter of an hour and-a-half. She was not what his parents would want for him to take home. But his attention was caught, and he couldn't help himself. He looked up and noticed that the girls were standing and turning towards a blonde and her friends.

"What have we here? It's the freak brigade," she cackled, and so did her friends.

"Get lost, Leblanc," Paine snarled, and her three friends had to hold her back. "Or you'll meet the end of my fist again."

"I don't think so, loves. I'll be ready for you and I'll give as good as I get. Why don't you go back to the psych hospital, freak?" she sneered before walking away with her friends.

"Bitch," Paine called as Lulu pulled her back to sit down. "She's gonna get me on a bad day, and I won't be held responsible for my actions," she spat.

"Today isn't a bad day?" Baralai asked Tidus.

He shook his head and smirked. "When it's a bad day, you'll see. Today is a pretty good day for her." He and Baralai snickered quietly.

"Don't let her get to you," Yuna said with an angry sigh. "She does it because she knows your temper flares up easily. Just ignore her and she'll stop."

"We'll meet you guys at the table," Rikku said as they began to walk off. "Painey needs to cool off a bit," she said before kissing her boyfriend and walking off with her friends.

The guys turned to him. "Paine?" Tidus asked.

Baralai shrugged in embarrassment. "She's pretty," he said lamely.

"Yeah, but she's deadly too. Deadly trumps pretty," Gippal put in. "The last boyfriend she had had a rough time getting her to act like a girlfriend. He was just as headstrong as her, but too much stubbornness was not a good thing. She broke up with him after giving him a black eye because he accused her of cheating."

"Did she cheat?" Baralai asked as they began to walk to the lunch area.

Wakka shook his head. "Nah. She's crazy and stubborn, but she's honest. She doesn't cheat and she doesn't bother with lies. Buddy's been trying to get back with her ever since, but she won't have him, ya."

Baralai nodded. "So she's a hard type to please. Why is she like that? Do any of you know?"

Tidus nodded. "I've known her since we were kids. Her parents weren't together because her dad left her and her mom when she was ten. Her mom died when she was fifteen and she's been alone ever since. Lives alone, though we don't know where. I think only the girls know, but they guard it like a secret that will end the world if it gets out."

Baralai frowned. "So you guys think that I don't have a chance?"

They all shrugged. "She's TNT, man," said Gippal. "You need to tread carefully with her or she will blow up in your face. But I guess that if you really try, you can get under her skin. Dunno if she's interested though," he put in.

They walked into the lunch area just in time to see Paine haul back and punch the girl who had talked down to them at the bleachers. Then the other girl returned the punch and all hell broke loose. The security man was on them quickly, holding them away from each other, and then dragging them both off towards the dean's office.

Yuna, Rikku, and Lulu walked over to their table and looked angry. "What happened?" Tidus asked.

Yuna huffed. "Leblanc called her all variations of whore and told Paine that while she and Buddy were going out, he was sleeping with her. I don't think that's true. Buddy may have been overly jealous, but he wouldn't do that to Paine."

"She'll probably get suspended again," Lulu said darkly.

"And on the first day of school!" Rikku complained. "But Leblanc was asking for it. She's such a…… such a…"

"Bitch?" Lulu asked with a smirk. Rikku had never been comfortable with swearing unless she was angry.

"Yeah," Rikku replied with a pout.

Gippal gave Baralai a pointed look. "You see? Now it's a bad day."

Baralai nodded and let out a sigh. It would be wise of him to just forget about his crush and move on to someone who wasn't so high maintenance.

……

Paine sighed in irritation. She was beyond pissed and didn't feel like talking to her friends much. Yuna and Rikku had called and left messages, but she hadn't answered any of them. She had been suspended for the rest of the day because of Leblanc and would have to serve detention for a week afterwards. The dean had let her off "easy" because they were barely starting the school year, but he said that the next time she was sent to his office, she would be on probation.

She'd always suspected something had been off about Buddy those last few weeks they had been together, but she never would've thought he would cheat. Then again, she was very reluctant to believe anything Leblanc said, without proof. It was stupid to get angry about something that happened a while ago. She and Buddy were through and nothing he said would make her take him back.

Paine produced a cigarette from a secret place in her maze of leather and buckles and found a lighter in her backpack. Smoking sometimes relaxed her, so she'd do it now and then see if her mood was better enough to tell Yuna, Rikku, and Lulu about what had happened.

She was taking a long drag from behind the tree by the parking lot where her bike was, when someone cleared a throat and she looked over. Her eyes rolled when she was met by the hazel eyes of the new addition of their little group. "What?" she asked, not really in the mood to deal with him right now.

Baralai gave her a disapproving look. "I know I don't know you much, but you shouldn't be smoking," he said, eyeing the cancer stick in her hand.

Paine shrugged. "What, are you my father now?" she asked snidely.

"No," he replied patiently.

"Then why do you care?"

Baralai shrugged one shoulder and gave her a small smile. "I don't. But it's a proven fact that smoking causes lung cancer and emphysema. I don't suppose you want to become another statistic," he pointed out before turning and walking away. "And don't get into so much trouble," he called. "It makes it all that much harder to get to know you."

Paine watched him go with a scowl on her face, wondering what the hell he had meant by those last words. She had to admit that he was cute. He was about a half-a-foot taller than her, with white hair, hazel eyes, and a naturally bronzed complexion. There was also something about him that irked her. Maybe it was that know-it-all look he had when looking at his surroundings, but she didn't care. As long as he stayed out of her way, she was fine.

As she stood straight and walked towards her bike, she dropped the half-smoked cigarette and stepped on it. He had a point though, she didn't want to be a statistic.

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How was that for an intro? Did I keep characters in character? I know it's a bit short, but since I usually write more, it takes me longer to update. Maybe this way I can updater quicker. Well, I have high expectations for this fic and I hope that everyone enjoyed it because I'm enjoying writing it. I apologize if there are typos or grammar errors and I promise to fix them as soon as I can. I also threw in a bit anti-smoking preaching in there, but no offense to those of you who smoke. Everyone makes their own decision.

Anyway, thanks for reading and go ahead and let me know what you thought!

Byebye

Joey


	2. Bad Influence

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**Bad Influence**

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Aside from the couple of days she'd had to serve detention, Paine realized that school wasn't _that _bad. Though Rikku was still getting on her last nerve regarding the "find her a boyfriend" situation. Even Yuna was getting exasperated, and Yuna was the calmest of the group.

Leblanc had been sporting a nice bruise on her jaw for more than a week, and Paine was thankful that she didn't know how to hit, so her own bruise had been there a few days before it had faded completely. She scowled to herself as she handed over her physics homework on a wrinkled sheet of notebook paper. She was sure that she would get some type of low grade because science and math weren't her forte, even less if they were mixed together.

On her way back to her seat behind Yuna and Lulu, she passed Baralai, who smiled slightly at her. She gave him a bored look and kept walking. He was a tad creepy, but overall not a bad guy. Sure, he seemed more interested in her than was comfortable, but that was okay. He wasn't interfering with her, and that was a plus. She took a seat next to Rikku and tried her best to ignore the giggles coming from her as she sent messages to Gippal, who was sitting on the double desk besides theirs. All that separated them was Tidus, a few feet, and Paine, and still they couldn't stay away from each other.

Paine was doodling in her notebook when the teacher called for their attention and began to explain that for the next few weeks, they would work with partners on their class projects. "Now, as I call your names, I want you to pair up and one partner needs to come up here to get this packet and a textbook. Tidus and Rikku. Gippal and Dona. Barthello and Yuna. Wakka and Nhadala. Lulu and Clasko. Paine and Baralai." As he kept pairing them off, Paine reluctantly dragged her backpack off of the desk as Baralai walked over to sit next to her, a questioning look on his face.

"Are you mad that we're paired up?" he asked her.

"Should I be?" Paine asked as she continued with her doodles, her chin on her free hand. Most were drawings of a sword with a skull engraved under the hilt.

"No," he said before walking to the front to get the packet and the textbook. "I happen to like science and math," he said as he sat next to her again.

Paine smirked. "Ah, so you're a nerd."

"I prefer the term bookworm," he said with a smile.

She let out a low laugh and nodded. "So we're not going to fail?"

Baralai grinned. At least he had gotten some type of reaction out of her. "Not if I can help it. Why? Do you have problems with science or math?"

"Try both. I'm not much of a studying type. I'll probably get a zero on the homework we just turned in because I didn't go through my notes," she admitted as she watched him open the text book and turn to the page the teacher was indicating.

"Then this is your lucky day," he said. "Math is easy for me to grasp, so I'll be happy to help you out if you want."

Paine nodded. "We'll see," she said evasively, starting to copy down the notes on the whiteboard.

Baralai watched her for a moment longer and smiled inwardly. Okay, at least she hadn't insulted him and was laying low on the sarcasm. That day he had found her smoking, he had been more than shocked. He knew that she wasn't eighteen yet, and smoking on campus was illegal, so she'd been taking a great risk at getting caught and expelled. He had hung around long enough to see her put out her unfinished cigarette before she had left, a small frown on her face.

As the days passed, he felt like some type of stalker because everything she did, he found interest in. He was just happy that her dryness and sarcasm weren't only directed at him. She was like that with everyone around her. Except for Yuna and Lulu. Rikku was an exception. Gippal's girlfriend had a knack for making Paine's patience evaporate within seconds. As the class progressed, he noticed that she was having trouble solving some of the problems.

He leaned over slightly and pointed out what she was doing wrong and what steps to take. She tried and let out an exasperated sigh when she came up with the wrong answer. Baralai leaned over a bit closer and whispered the steps to her as the teacher kept talking. He wrote in a piece of paper separate from hers and watched her eyes as they took in the process. "Try the next one," he said with an encouraging smile.

Paine scowled to herself and tried it, following step by the step the way she had seen him do it. She looked at his paper to see if they had the same answer. She managed a small smirk when she saw that they did and he gave her a thumbs-up.

"You see? It's not _that_ hard, once you get the hang of it," Baralai said as he finished his last problem and sat back. He was the first person to be done with their work. He moved his chair towards Paine and decided to help her out for the remainder of the class.

Paine let out a long breath when the bell rang and they were instructed to leave the textbooks and the problems they had completed on the teacher's desk. Wakka was holding Lulu's hand as they passed, and the girl flashed Paine and Baralai a smile before they were out the door. "What do you know? She's not mad at him today," said Paine to Baralai.

He chuckled and walked out with her, followed by the rest of their friends. "You know, if you ever need help with any of your school work, I can help you out. I don't have a problem with my classes because—like you put it—I'm a nerd, so I actually get my homework done quickly."

She shrugged as they made their way to the cafeteria for lunch. "I don't know. I have like this part-time job thing that I have. It helps pay for the gas that goes into my hog, or for any upgrades that Gippal puts into it. I don't have much time for anything else. I do my homework when I can."

Baralai nodded and sighed heavily. Why was she being so damn difficult? Though he was a bookworm, he had never had a problem getting to know the girls he liked, and he knew that his looks had always helped; though he wasn't bragging. His last girlfriend had been with him for two years, and he had been the one to make the moves.

Paine watched him from the corner of her eye. What was wrong with this guy? Was he seriously trying to get at her? Well, he had just hit a roadblock. She wasn't interested. Her experience with Buddy _and _with a guy she had met after—that no one knew of and she would rather forget—had dissolved her interest in having a relationship with _any_ guy. She wasn't in the rush to get with another controlling, jealous, jerk.

Yuna, Lulu, and Rikku cornered her as they guys still waited for their lunch. Paine sat down at her usual spot and glared at them. "What?" she asked in annoyance.

"What's up with you and Baralai?" asked Rikku as she gazed at the guys.

"Nothing," Paine said flatly.

"He likes you," Yuna said with a giggle.

"No he doesn't," she snapped.

"Yes, he does," Lulu said, emphasizing each word. "Every time I turned around to look at you two during class, he was leaning far too close than necessary, and you weren't forcing him—i.e. breaking his nose—to move away and give you your space."

Paine eyed them all and sat back as the guys walked over to them and sat down. "What are you talking about?" Tidus asked, after seeing them move away quickly from the silver-haired girl.

Yuna grinned. "We were just discussing the sleepover we were organizing for tomorrow night. You're going, right Paine?" she asked with a hint of a threat in her voice.

She eyed her friends and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. But if there's even a mention of dresses or make-up, I'm out of there," she replied, giving Rikku a pointed look. "And I'll bring some horror movies for Rikku."

"What?!" she squeaked. "I don't think so! I only watch horror movies if my Gippy is there. Otherwise I can't sleep afterwards," she said, batting long lashes at her boyfriend.

Lulu and Paine gagged. They were just too mushy for their tastes. They all had a pretty fun lunch, considering the bizarre tasting food, and the lovey-dovey looks Gippal and Rikku were giving each other from across the table. As the bell rang and the students threw out their trash and made their way to their last class of the day, Baralai stopped Paine before he lost his nerve.

"Here," he muttered. "If you ever need help with any of your school work, give me a call. I'll be happy to help," he said, handing her a paper where he had written his cell number.

She gave him a smirk and nodded. "I'll think about it, _if _I ever need help."

Baralai smiled and walked off with the other guys as they walked ahead. Lulu came up behind her and stared at the number in her hands. "He gave you his cell number? Do you see what's going on now?"

"Please," said Paine. "He told me to call him if I ever need help with my homework."

"Which is always," said Rikku with a grin.

"Let it be," Paine exasperated. "You lot are making this into something that's not even there. Lay off the romance novels." She walked on ahead of them, and tucked the number into her pants.

"Maybe we should ask the guys to find out what Baralai is really doing," Rikku said to Yuna and Lulu. The other two nodded. "Then we can be like cupid to get those two together!" she cheered.

"I heard that," Paine said, stopping ahead of them. "And I'll warn you now," she said, advancing on Rikku and poking a finger to her shoulder with each word. "Stay. Out. Of. My. Love. Life."

"But you don't have a love life," Yuna stated innocently as they began to walk again.

"Exactly," Paine stressed. "And I don't want one either. I'm happy the way I am."

Lulu smirked. "Sure you are," she said as she looked at Yuna and Rikku, flashing them a smirk. They had all noticed the very faint pink on Paine's cheeks when Rikku had mentioned getting her and Baralai together.

………

Paine smirked in amusement as she watched Yuna and Rikku walk around with some type of moisturizer/cleanser goop all over their faces. They were getting facials, according to Lulu. Both she and Paine had turned down the offer to get facials themselves, so their punishment was to watch a couple of chick flicks while Rikku went on and on about how Gippal was the sweetest guy in the world. Apparently, Tidus was a dunce when it came to romance and Wakka's idea of a romantic evening was eating spicy Buffalo wings while watching the Blitzball game on TV. Lulu was mad at him again because that had been exactly what they had done just yesterday.

"What's the most romantic thing past boyfriends have done for you?" Yuna asked her as they sat on the couches around her living room. Her father was on a business trip and would not be back for another week, so they had the house to themselves for the whole weekend. Not to mention that Yuna had a license and her father had trusted her with his SUV of the year. He had promised her her own car on graduation.

Paine shrugged and thought about it. "I think it was Buddy. For all that he was excessively jealous, he must've been the most romantic of them all. He once gave me flowers for no reason. I didn't particularly like pink carnations, but he made me smile."

Rikku and Yuna giggled. Lulu just rolled her eyes. Pink carnations were a no-no. "What about you two? Have Tidus or Wakka _ever_ done anything even remotely smart or romantic?" asked Paine.

Lulu smirked. "Wakka climbed up the vines growing on the side of my house in order to say he was sorry for saying something stupid to me. He reached my bedroom window before the vines detached from the house and he fell on his ass," she said with a laugh. "He was sore for a week."

The girls laughed and Yuna sighed wistfully. "Well, Tidus can be really sweet too. For our one-year anniversary he took me to a romantic dinner where we danced under the moonlight."

Paine rolled her eyes. She didn't know how she would react if she ever had a run-in with a guy _that_ sappy. Maybe she'd punch him in the face before walking away. She just wasn't the type of girl that enjoyed those things. Hell, if Wakka wasn't such an idiot, and Lulu's boyfriend, and so close to being her brother, she'd think that he was the most romantic of them all. She didn't mind watching sports or eating Buffalo wings with a boyfriend. But guys were jackasses. All they were interested in was getting into your pants, and taking care that no one else got in your pants but them. They all viewed their girlfriends like a freakin' piece of property.

"Paine?" Yuna asked.

"What?"

"You're scowling. Why?"

"Just having random thoughts that don't sit well with my stomach," she replied as the doorbell rang and Yuna handed over a hundred gil to pay for the food. She opened the door and glared coldly as the delivery boy for the Thai food eyed her long legs openly. She cursed the fact that she hadn't brought her normal pj's with her and had had to borrow Rikku's short shorts. "Just for ogling me, your tip just got cut in half."

"S-sorry miss," he said before handing over the large paper bag and giving her the change.

Paine slammed the door closed and took the food to the girls. She helped Yuna with the drinks and cups as Lulu divided the food up for each girl. They ate in peace and watched the movie for half-an-hour before Rikku's cell phone rang and she answered.

"Hey baby," she said with a grin.

"Great," said Yuna. "She'll be on that thing for a while. Care to play Poker?" she asked Lulu and Paine. All three nodded and ignored their friend as she made kissing noises at the phone as they brought out a deck of cards and some chips.

"Gippal!" she said in a naughty tone. "Don't say things like that over the phone!"

"Royal Flush," said Paine, setting her cards down.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Yuna called.

"No it's not. You cut the deck and then gave me my cards. Do you see any place where I could've kept extra cards?" she asked, motioning to the white t-shirt and the short-shorts she was wearing.

"We barely even began the game!" her friend complained.

Lulu just snorted as they tried to tune out Rikku's giggling as she plopped down on the couch. "So, let's talk boys," the dark-haired girl said as she shuffled the deck more thoroughly.

"Yes," Yuna said with a smile. "Tell us what you think of Baralai."

"Again with this?" Paine snapped.

"Well, yes. It's obvious he likes you, why not just go on a date with him to see if you like him back, or to see if things will work out between you two?" asked Yuna.

"Look. I told you that I'm not interested in having a boyfriend right now. Buddy was a jerk, and…… after him I had an experience with this guy that I met at the restaurant under my place. It's something I would rather forget. He was a jerk and it's his fault that I'm turned off of relationships for good."

"You never told us about him," Lulu said as she grabbed a bottle of juice and twisted it open. "What was his name?"

"I don't want to talk about him. I didn't even want to mention him, but you've aggravated me to the point of actually talking about it. Just know that it was a bad experience, I don't talk about it, and I don't want to have a relationship because of it. Got it?"

"Yeah, but what does Baralai have to do with it?" asked Rikku from the couch.

They could all hear Gippal asking her, "What about Baralai?... Hey Lai' they're talking about you!" The volume on the phone was that loud.

"Tell your boyfriend that I am going to murder him the next time I see him," Paine snarled. "There is nothing of interest for Baralai in here," she said, pointing to her heart.

"Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be there. It can start there," said Lulu, pointing to her head. "He's cute. He's sweet, and he likes you. You can't just give up on guys over _one_ bad experience you've had."

Paine shrugged and took a sip of her water bottle. "He's too nerdy and goody-two-shoes for me. I want a bad boy in any case," she said with a smirk.

"Did you hear that Gippy? Paine wants a bad boy. Tell Baralai not to be so nice and sweet to her."

"I swear to god Rikku, it's hurt time!" she yelled as she got to her feet and Rikku jumped over the back of the couch to get away from her.

"I have to go Gippal! Paine is going to kill me. Save me my love!" she screeched as she made it to Yuna's bathroom and locked herself in.

Paine waited for five minutes before she walked away and Rikku gave a sigh of relief. "Are you still there?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Yeah. You really pissed her off, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yes, but I think that there's something there between her and Baralai," she whispered. "He made her laugh, and honestly, when was the last time some guy made our Paine laugh?"

"I know what you mean. But what can we do if she's so hell-bent on _not_ paying him any attention?" Gippal asked with a heavy sigh. "He likes her. That much is obvious, but Paine is Paine."

"Well, we'll have to go at this slowly. We can't just push them together and expect her to accept it. He'll have to work for it. Paine is a great girl and she deserves a good guy," said Rikku with a fond smile.

"See? This is why I love you baby-cakes. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know," said Gippal smoothly. "I have to go, sweetheart. The guys are over here and they're waiting for me to start a new game."

"Okay. I love you too Gippal. Let me know what you've thought about for our plan," she said before closing her phone with a grin. Hmm, Paine needed to be brought back to earth by a good man. Baralai was sweet and kind, and he made Paine laugh. In Rikku's book, he was perfect for Paine.

……

"_Oh, sweetheart, I love you so much. You're the reason I live and breathe. Without you, the world is so empty. Marry me Ri, please? Pretty please?!" _Tidus made smooching noises while Wakka imitated Gippal after he had hung up his phone.

Baralai chuckled in amusement and helped himself to another slice of pizza. Gippal gave the other two the finger. "You guys are just jealous. Especially you Wakka. When was the last time _you_ made Lulu happy?" he asked smugly.

"Oh, kiss my ass, ya," said Wakka as he and Tidus started the game without him.

"You're going down, Wakka," said Tidus as they focused their attention on the large flat screen in Gippal's basement/bedroom.

"You'll eat my dust," Wakka replied.

Gippal brought over a six-pack for the pizza. He wasn't one who cared much about underage drinking. Hell, his own father had been drinking from age sixteen. He handed one to Baralai and the other to Tidus. Wakka shot him down. He hated beer.

"So, we need to find a way to get Lai' and Paine together," Gippal said casually.

Baralai almost choked on his pizza, and Tidus' character was killed when his attention shifted to the other blond. "What are you talking about? Paine would murder us in our sleep if she found out we were interfering with her life. The only people who can actually pull that off are our girls."

"Come on, guys. Just forget it. If she were interested, I would at least bother going after her, but she's not. Let's just leave it alone," Baralai put in before taking a bite of his pizza.

"I thought you liked her," said Gippal.

Baralai nodded. "I do, but that has nothing to do with it. If she's not interested, what's the point? I mean, you guys said it. She's dangerous, and if I want to keep body parts in one piece, maybe it's better for her and me to stay friends. Or as close as friends as we can be."

"The girls are willing to help," Gippal put in as he went through one slice of pizza and grabbed another. "You want me to tell them not to bother, or should we at least try?"

"Well, I offered to help her with her homework, and I gave her my number, so the ball's in her court," Baralai replied.

"Paine has never been good at school. She'll need your help sooner or later if she wants to graduate," Tidus said as he kept his eyes on the screen. "Just give her some time, and when you're studying, make a move on her. Just a warning though, that when she's mad she hits pretty hard."

"I'll keep that in mind," Baralai replied as Gippal handed him a controller and took another himself so that they could join the battle. Though he really was nervous about the battle that was to come between himself and Paine.

……………………

Monday's were the most frustrating days of the week.

Paine had another aggravating day at school on that particular Monday. The year had only started a few weeks ago, and already she wanted nothing more than to ditch her classes and get away. Her math class was horrid and she had been receiving low grades on her work. The same went for physics. Stupid numbers. It was looking as if she would have to take Baralai's offer for tutoring her.

Life was out to get her. So were Rikku, Yuna, and Lulu, who had pointed out—more than once—the fact that they had caught Baralai staring at her when he thought no one was looking. Why were they so bent on getting her with that guy? Maybe she should stop thinking about him and staring at the back of his white hair and get to her work.

And another thing; why was he sitting in front of her when Rikku was the one usually in that spot? Well, Rikku was sitting next to her boyfriend, copying the problems off of his paper, including the answers. Lulu and Yuna were sitting together, while Tidus sat next to Baralai and Paine was stuck with Wakka, the least smart one of them all. She let out an annoyed sigh and Wakka gave her a questioning look, which she shrugged off as she pointed to her paper and showed him that there were no answers on it.

He showed her the mess he had made on his own paper and the fact that the answers were barely legible and most likely wrong. But at least he tried. The bell rang and they were instructed to turn in their math problems before walking out the door.

"I think we both failed the quiz, ya?" asked Wakka as they made their way towards the front. Paine nodded and was about to walk out the door when the teacher stopped her.

"Paine, may I speak with you for a moment?" she asked the girl. The teacher waited until everyone had left before turning to her student. "I am highly concerned with your quality of work, dear," she said kindly.

"Okay," said Paine, knowing what she was getting at.

"If you're having problems with this class, why don't you ask for help? I would be willing to provide it if you'd like, or you can get yourself a tutor to help you. I want all of my seniors to graduate, but at the rate you are going, you will fail this class. You need the help, now."

Paine nodded and sighed heavily. "I'll find a tutor," she said.

"Good. Your grade is a C- right now, borderline with a D. Please find the help. I know that your friends would be willing to help you out if you would only ask them. You and Wakka both," she said with a smile.

"Will do," said Paine before walking out of the class, and nearly running into Baralai, who was waiting for her. "What?" she asked darkly. Now she was in a bad mood.

"I stayed behind to walk with you. So, what did the teacher tell you?" he asked as they began to walk towards the opposite way of the lunch area.

"I'm successfully failing math, and I need help. At least that's what she thinks," said Paine sardonically.

"And she's wrong?" Baralai asked.

Paine shook her head. "No. She's right. I do need the help. So I guess I'll take your offer of help. Even though I hate school, I just don't want to drop out. I actually want to graduate," she admitted.

Baralai nodded and smiled. "I'd love to help you there," he said running a hand through his feathery hair. "It's up to you when we start and how often we can do it," he said, flushing when a girl passed them and raised her eyebrows at his last words.

Paine snickered at the look on his face. "Yeah. I'll have to see about that part-time thing I have, and I'll call you," she said as they reached the fence that separated the campus from the parking lot. "You should go to lunch," she said as she started to climb the fence with ease.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a frown as she reached the top in seconds and threw her backpack onto the other side so that it wouldn't hinder her climb down.

"It's kinda obvious that I'm ditching for what's left of the day."

"You just said you want to graduate. Why are you missing class then?" he asked impatiently.

"That's none of your business," she snapped. "Either shut up and get out of here before you give me away, or get your ass over here and come with me."

Baralai stared at her as she climbed down half way and then jumped, landing on her feet with the grace of a feline. She stared at him for a second before grabbing her backpack and turning away. A few seconds later she heard the sound of feet hitting ground again and he stepped up next to her.

Paine smirked and motioned to her motorcycle, which was looking out of place amongst the cars. So the nerd had a wild side to him. Well, maybe there was more to him than books and staring. She would never admit to Rikku that she was right and this was the first guy who had made her smile willingly.

Baralai watched her as she removed the chain holding the bike to the metal post and then sitting on her bike. She placed the key in the ignition and turned to look at him with those startling red eyes of hers and he could only admit it to himself that her eyes were what he liked most about her. He took a seat behind her and tried to keep his distance. After all, he was a young man, with normal urges, and she was pretty and curvy, and dangerous to his health if she felt something even remotely _out of place._

She sighed impatiently at his slowness and grabbed his hands before placing them around her waist and pulling him closer. "Hang on," she said before taking off and out of the parking lot.

Oh, he'd hang on for dear life. She was a bad influence, but one he wouldn't mind being under if it meant feeling her skin under his fingertips. Baralai smirked to himself as they sped down the street. He hadn't even asked her where they were going.

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Hehe. Interesting turn of events, right? Baralai is like a goody-goody type of guy and he's ditching school with Paine. So, how was this chapter? Good, bad, mediocre? I'd love to hear from everyone, and I know that you're out there because the last chapter for more than sixty hits. Come on peeps, I need to know if you like it or not so that I can keep going. I already know how the story will go and how it will end, so if you guys want to find out, let me know if it's worth it. Thanks anyway for the last reviews and I hope this chapter was to everyone's liking!

Byebye

Joey


	3. Liar Liars

…………………………………………

**Liar Liars**

…………………………………………

"This is where you would've come even if I wasn't tagging along?" Baralai asked as she took the precautions for the safety of her bike.

Paine nodded and smirked. "A few hours of riding the rollercoaster and watching one or two shows usually relaxes me when I'm aggravated," she replied as they walked into the amusement park.

"Aren't we paying for our entries?" he asked with a frown. He may have been ditching school, but he wasn't a thief.

"I know the owner of the whole place and the employees. They let me in for free whenever I want," she said with a smile towards the girl at the booth as she let them through. "Where to first?"

Baralai looked at the map and grinned. "The Twist of Fate," he said with a sinister grin.

Paine raised an eyebrow. "The ride with the four loops and the plunge from one-hundred feet in the air? Never a dull moment in your life, huh?" she asked as they walked towards the ride.

He chuckled and nodded. "I like amusement parks with rides like these," he said as they got in line and waited for the few people to go in front of them. Being a Monday, there weren't many people there, so the wait was very little. Soon they were seated and strapped in, and Paine could feel that nervous flutter that was felt before the ride would start to rise.

"Wanna hold my hand?" she asked him mockingly.

"Not unless you're just looking for a way to hide your fear-aaaahhhhhh!" he trailed off into a yell as the ride started with a plunge and a twist. Paine was laughing at him the whole ride until it was finally over a few minutes later. "That was… interesting," he said as they wobbled off and he tried to fix his ruined hair. "You get to choose the next one," he said as they stopped.

"Maybe we should have lunch and then watch a show before going on another rise," Paine said as they neared the food section of the park.

"Well, what are you in the mood for?" he asked as they looked at the various food stands.

"Corn dogs," she said.

Baralai nodded. "Come on. It'll be my treat," he said.

"How many corn dogs would you like?" asked the girl at the register.

"Three," Paine replied.

Baralai looked at her in amusement before turning back to the girl. "Make that six corn dogs and two large ice teas," he said, handing, over the gil. "You like to eat much?" he asked Paine.

She smirked. "With other food I eat normal, but where corn dogs are concerned, I can eat up to five if I'm in the mood."

He chuckled and nodded as their order has handed over and they moved to sit at a table after filling many little paper cups with mustard. "Tell me about yourself. You don't really talk about your personal like," Paine said before taking a bite from her first corn dog.

"Neither do you," Baralai countered.

She shrugged. "There's not much to tell."

Baralai eyed her carefully. "Well, I have on older brother who I haven't seen in years. My mother is a fashion designer and my father has his own business. He wants me to take over after I graduate, but I have no interest in his business. I hate dogs and I like cats. I own a TV that I barely watch. I like classical music but will also listen to modern stuff, and my favorite subject in school is History of Spira," he said in one blow.

Paine gave an incredulous snort. "My god, you really are a nerd," she stated.

He nodded, not looking embarrassed in the least. "It's your turn," he said, sipping his drink.

"I never said I would tell you anything about me," she said with a small laugh.

"Hey, it's only fair!"

Paine rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said with a heavy sigh. "I live alone. I have a cat named Valentine. Don't give me that look. I adopted him and he already had that name. I don't like school, but I'll try it because I want to graduate. The people we hang out with are my only family. I work part-time at the restaurant under my place, and the woman that owns it has been like my guardian or something. I love corn dogs and roller coasters, but I hate water rides. I like swimming, and I _hate_ liars," she emphasized her last words. "You're not a liar, are you?"

Baralai tried to hide his grin at her suspicious tone. "Not that I know," he replied.

Paine gave a sharp nod. "Good," she said, finishing her second corn dog. "Because then I'd be forced to kick your nerdy ass," she said, eying him with a slight smile.

"Okay," he replied with a grin. "We should go see the Chocobo rodeo," he said as they finished their food and threw out their trash.

Paine shrugged and they began to walk towards the stadium where the show was about to start. Various types of chocobos were shown on a large poster with strange names, and the type of tricks they could do. She and Baralai sat down in the middle seats right as the show began. There weren't many people there either, but the show was pretty interesting and comical.

She couldn't help but notice that Baralai was sitting pretty close and every time he moved, his leg brushed hers. He was also wearing a type of cologne that was as mix of sweetness and outdoors she couldn't quite place. The scary part of it all was that it wasn't bothering her how close he was, once again. So she ignored it. She wouldn't give Rikku, Lulu, and Yuna the pleasure of being right. Meanwhile, she vaguely wondered how a chocobo could be trained to grab a rope with its beak and lasso a rodeo clown. It sounded stupid, but it looked impressive.

The show lasted about thirty-minutes and then they made their way out, passing several mini-stores with chocobo shirts and souvenirs. "What next?" Paine asked.

Baralai shrugged. "I ended up choosing the last three times. You need to pick something this time," he said.

Paine thought about it. "We can go on the Ferris Wheel. You're not afraid of heights, are you?"

He shook his head and stopped her in front of a game booth that had various size chocobo plushies to be won by knocking down three small bottles that were stacked like a pyramid over a platform. They had to completely fall off and to the ground in order to win. Paine rolled her eyes as he paid the guy for one ball and stood back.

"You know how to throw?" she asked him as he prepared himself for the throw.

Baralai narrowed his eyes in concentration. "No, but I think I can make it," he said seriously. Then he smiled. "I'll win it for you."

Paine smirked. "I'm betting you've never thrown a baseball before in your life. You think that on your first try you'll win?" she asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

He eyed her, his light brown eyes glittering merrily. "If I do it for you, yes."

They stared at each other for a few seconds until the guy at the counter cleared his throat pointedly and Paine looked away first. She cleared her throat too and tried to ignore the fact that she had almost blushed at the look he had given her. She was being stupid and girly. She _didn't _blush. It was just wrong for someone as tough as herself to do that. She watched him haul back and let the baseball go.

Baralai cheered when he knocked down all the bottles completely. "What did I tell you?" he asked her with a grin.

"Your pick," said the guy at the counter.

Baralai looked at Paine. "Which one do you want?"

She shrugged. "Surprise me," she said, eying the different colored birds. He nodded and pointed at a pink chocobo with big, brown eyes.

"You've got to be kidding me! Do I _look _like the type of girl who likes pink?" she exploded.

Baralai shrugged and handed over the bird after taking it from the employee. "You said surprise you. I did. Besides, it's a gift and you can't turn down a gift or throw it away," he said smartly.

Paine took it reluctantly and nodded. "Fine. Just because you won it on the first throw of your life," she snapped.

Baralai hid a smile. Another step forward. Though he may have been pushing it with the pink chocobo, but he could still tell that it had amused her. Then something strange occurred to him. They were at an amusement park _together;_ he had sat down to eat with her and had won her a prize. "Are we… are we on a date?" he asked her abruptly.

Paine stopped walking and gave him a strange look. "No!" she said quickly. "Being on a date would mean that you would have to ask me out, not tag along when I ditch from school," she said with a snort.

"So if I asked you out on a real date, would you go?" he asked casually.

Paine sighed heavily. Might as well tell him where he stood. "Look, I'll be honest with you. You're a good guy, but I'm not looking to date anyone. I don't want a boyfriend; I don't want a relationship. It's nothing personal. I'm just not interested in dating or being tied down to someone. We can be friends, but that's it. If you can't handle that, we'll just go back to school and forget we're getting along so well."

Baralai let out a long breath, processing all that she had just said. "Okay; that's fine. We can be friends. But… you have to let me know the moment you're interested in more," he said with a waggle of eyebrows.

Paine just let out a small laugh and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind," she said as they suddenly found themselves in the children section of the theme park.

"I think we took a wrong turn," he stated, looking around at all the bright colors and caricatures.

She smiled wickedly. "I know what ride we're going on next."

Baralai looked up and his eyes widened. "You're kidding, right?"

Paine shook her head. "No. Just consider it revenge for a pink chocobo that I can't throw away," she replied as she pulled him towards the carousel.

…………

"I'm worried," Yuna said to Lulu as they sat in the bleachers inside the pool building. They were wrapped in towels after swimming warm-up laps and then getting timed to see which were the quickest swimmers. The coach was working on putting together a new swim team. Rikku was still practicing her laps, and was burning off all the excess energy she regularly had.

Lulu nodded. "Both Paine and Baralai have disappeared… Do you think that they're together?"

Yuna gave her a wide-eyed look and reached for her cell-phone, which she had brought with her and had hidden in the stands until she had a chance to use it. She pressed a button and waited. "Yeah?" Paine asked on the other end.

"Where are you? You missed swimming. Are you ditching?" Yuna hissed.

"Of course not," Paine replied dryly.

"Well, where are you? And you know, Baralai isn't here either. Is he with you?"

Paine made a noise of annoyance. "No. he's not here with me. I had a stomach ache and I decided to come home. Take notes for me in English, all right?"

Yuna pursed her lips in suspicion. "Fine. I hope you feel better," she said lightly.

"Thanks," Paine said simply before ending the call.

"Do you think they're together?" Lulu asked again.

"Maybe. Though Paine denied it, it seems awfully suspicious that both of them got sick and went home. Though we don't know yet where Baralai is. We'll just have to corner her when she comes back to school tomorrow, and the guys can get Baralai to talk," Yuna said with a grin.

Lulu nodded and watched as Wakka raced Tidus and Rikku in the pool. "I like Baralai for Paine. He'll be good for her if only she would give him a chance," she said to the other girl.

"He's a sweet guy. He'll win her over sooner or later. You'll see," said Yuna brightly.

Lulu shrugged. They either ended up together, or ended up killing each other. Baralai really was a sweet guy, but a guy needed a certain level of authority to handle Paine, and they hadn't seen if he had it in him _yet._ Paine just needed a little push—more like a shove—towards her own happiness.

……

After a few hours of roller coasters, the Ferris Wheel, and the traumatizing ride on the carousel—where the little kids and parents had stared and pointed at him—Paine and Baralai called it a day. He had wanted to win her an even bigger pink chocobo, but she had shot him down immediately, settling on a pink cotton candy instead. Besides, the little pink chocobo was enough and she would be shocked if it survived the ride back to school. She had to admit that she'd had fun with him those few hours and wouldn't mind doing it again. Not that she would tell him that. She didn't want him to get his hopes up.

Paine felt his fingers twitch against the bare skin of her waist as she slowed the bike to a stop and parked about a block away from the school. Baralai removed his arms from around her, but Paine could still feel his breath on the back of her neck. She fought down a shiver and said nothing as he stepped off the bike. "I had fun," he said with an awkward smile. "Despite ridding a plastic horse among little kids and their parents."

Paine nodded and laughed. "So did I. And I promise to take care of the _pink_ chocobo. You should get going. The bell is about to ring and it's best if you don't run into the mob we call friends."

He nodded and smiled. "See you tomorrow, and don't forget that we have to study sometime soon," he said before walking away.

Paine watched him go and stayed where she was for a while. As he passed the main entrance of the school, the bell rang and people began to leave, though she could still spot him from far away because of his hair. He kept walking, past the school and about a block away. She started her bike to keep him in sight and spotted him getting into the back of a black luxury car. She debated whether to follow him or not for only a second and then took off at a safe distance.

They drove for about twenty-minutes before the car began to slow and Paine stopped her bike. Her eyes were wide as she took in his home. Aside from being a nerd, he was a rich boy! He had a chauffer, and an expensive three story mansion with a huge lawn, expertly cut, and trees that were trimmed just the right size. The gates were stylish but incredibly tall and there were guards making rounds around the property. Paine watched as a butler, or servant, stepped out of the main door and opened the door of the car for Baralai. He smiled and greeted the man as if they had been long-time friends before they both walked into the house. She closed her mouth, which had been hanging open, and decided to leave. Well, so much for him not being a liar.

……………………

The following day, during History of Spira, Yuna, Rikku, and Lulu tried to corner Paine to get her to talk, but she seemed to be having a bad morning. She wasn't talking to anyone, and even Baralai was having a hard time getting a reaction out of her.

They had the last ten minutes of the class free and that's when Paine suddenly snapped out of her mood. She eyed Baralai, who was sending messages through his phone. His _very _expensive looking phone. She looked at him closely and knew that she had probably seen his father in some type of magazine. She vaguely wondered if people knowing that he was rich embarrassed him. Was that why he never mentioned it?

Baralai looked up and did a double take when he saw that her eyes were narrowed and watching him. "What?" he asked with a smile.

Paine shrugged. "I didn't know we had a celebrity at our school," she said dryly.

His smile dropped. "What are you talking about?"

"I know who your father is now," she said with sudden realization, catching the attention of their friends. "Doesn't he own companies that make that famous brand of bourbon? He's like the richest man in Spira and you're his heir," she said incredulously. Baralai shut his phone and looked at them uncomfortably. "You have a personal driver and a three-story mansion to go home to," she added.

Baralai flushed in discomfiture. "What's your point?" he asked testily.

Their friends were looking at them back and forth, wondering where they were going with their discussion. "What are you doing here with all the little people?" Paine asked him curiously, and with a hint of derision in her tone.

"Lay off, Dr. P," Gippal cut in. "He's been cool with us. If he doesn't want his business out there, it's his decision. I don't think it's fair for you to go around blurting things like that."

"Why not?" Rikku asked before Paine could say anything. "It's not like he was keeping it a secret, right Baralai?"

Everyone turned to look at him, waiting for his answer. "I don't like talking about my father's money. It makes all these phonies swarm around me, trying to be my friends. That's what happened at my last school. I didn't want it to happen here. I don't brag about it either. You make it sound like I betrayed your trust or something," he said directly to Paine.

It seemed to Gippal that Baralai and Paine were having some type of quarrel between them and he and the rest of the gang were just spectators who had no business there. Paine shrugged and looked away. "I wasn't making any accusations," she snapped. "I was just wondering if anyone else knew these things about you, but it's obvious that no one did," she pointed out unnecessarily.

Baralai looked exasperated and disappointed as his eyes met Paine's, but before he could ask her why she had said all those things, the bell rang for their break before their next class. He caught up to Paine outside in the hall and grabbed her arm, stopping her as their friends kept walking.

Leblanc stopped in front of Baralai and flashed him a sleazy smile. "I was wondering why you stopped sending me messages. I was starting to feel abandoned," she said with a pout.

Paine looked at her in disgust and tried to pull out of Baralai's grip, but he wouldn't budge. Instead, his grip tightened, and she started to tap her foot impatiently. "Geez, aren't you losing valuable whoring time in the lunch area? Or did your jock of the week dump _you_ this time?" she asked snidely.

"Go screw yourself, freak. At least I can get a boyfriend, unlike you," Leblanc said evilly.

Paine would've lunged herself at the blonde, and most likely would've gotten into trouble again, but Baralai shoved her behind him. "Look, can we talk some other time? There's something I need to resolve with Paine," he said, trying to hint without being rude.

"Okay," said Leblanc, looking put off. "Don't take too long though," she said, touching his arm lightly.

Paine rolled her eyes and glared at the back of Baralai's head once the other girl was gone. Then he turned around and raised a curious eyebrow at her. "Seriously, Leblanc?" she asked him in disgust.

Baralai ignored her comment and waved a hand towards the classroom. "What the hell was that all about?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I didn't know that none of them were ignorant to your lifestyle. Why the secrecy, Baralai?" she asked.

"Why the secrecy about where _you _live, and what you do on your free time? None of the guys know much about you. Why? Is there something that _you _are hiding?" he asked, invading her space.

"My life is my life. I don't trust any of the guys with it. The girls are my sisters and they know everything about me. I'm not the type of person who shares things with just anyone," Paine said impatiently.

Baralai grunted. "What makes you think that I'm that type of person then? Why couldn't you just ask me about my life instead of yelling it out for the whole school to start rumors about me?"

Paine gave him a withering look. "I think you're being dramatic now. Look, why are we still talking about this? I didn't yell out your personal information. We were surrounded by friends and they all know now. What's the big deal?"

He just shrugged and began to walk away. "Next time you feel the need to talk about _my _life with our friends, don't. Just come and talk to me."

Paine just rolled her eyes and cursed fluently, grateful that no one had been around to hear her. She realized now what a bitch she had been to him, and she knew that had their roles been reversed, she would've knocked his teeth out for telling her business. She didn't even know why it bothered her that he had kept his financial status a secret from everyone.

It was his right. His decision. He'd been nothing but nice to her from the moment they had met. And _no_, the fact that she had seen him flirting with Leblanc before class had started in the morning had nothing to do with her blurting out things about his personal life to their friends. No, revenge had nothing to do with it. Besides, she had been straight with him about not wanting to date anyone. If he wanted to get his kicks with that sleazy whore, it was not her business.

……………

Baralai sighed heavily to himself as he sat in the car his father sent to pick him up after school. Though instead of going home, they had taken a detour. This detour posed a threat to his health though. He was debating on whether he should go into the building or not. Physics class and lunch had been a tense affair for all of them earlier. He and Paine had sat on opposite ends of the table and hadn't spoken to each other at all. They'd barely even crossed words during physics, where they had to team up at every class. Luckily, they hadn't worked on things that required really partnering up. During art class, they had sat on opposite sides of the room because their bizarre teacher insisted on dividing the class into a group of girls and the guys separately. So there hadn't been problems there.

He had seen her shaking her head at her friends on numerous occasions, but she had not spoken much to them. And now here he was, sitting in his car, in front of the building he assumed she lived in. the problem would finding out which apartment was hers. He'd worry about his safety afterwards. "I may be a while. Take a coffee break or something," he said to the driver.

"Yes sir," said the man with a sly grin. He'd take a while? That could only mean one thing. The young boss had a girl! Well, the old boss probably didn't know, so it was best to keep his mouth shut.

Baralai stepped out of the car and walked towards the restaurant. He stepped inside and looked around. For a modest place, it sure had its fair share of customers. He walked over to a woman at the register and gave her the best smile he could muster. "Hello," he said pleasantly. "I was wondering if you could help me with something."

The woman smiled and nodded. "What can I do for you, son?"

Baralai smiled again. "I'm here to tutor Paine, do you know her?"

"Of course I do! She's a very wonderful girl," the woman gushed.

"You see, I lost her address and all I could remember was the street name and the fact that she lived above a nice little restaurant. I called her, but she's not answering the phone."

The woman smiled. "It's so great that Paine is taking more interest in school. I'm so proud of her… Go through that door and up to apartment number two."

He nodded. "Thank you," he said before walking towards a door by the kitchen. He frowned when he realized just how easily he had gotten Paine's information from that lady, no matter how pleasant she had been. He made a mental note to warn Paine about that. He stood in front of her door, which had peeling paint under the number and debated on whether he should knock or not to let her know that he had followed her home.

It was only fair. She had done the same. He'd realized that during lunch. Otherwise, how could she have known about the car that picked him up and the three story mansion? He was risking getting his ass kicked by Paine, but he just couldn't leave things the way they were.

Baralai took a deep breath and knocked. The door opened a few seconds later and they stared at each other in shock for a few seconds. Paine at the fact that he had found out where she lived, and Baralai at the fact that she was in a pair of really short shorts and a tank-top. He'd never seen shapelier legs than hers.

"When you finish staring, would you mind telling me what the hell you're doing here?" she asked as she turned and walked into her kitchen to get a bottle of water. Baralai bit down on his lip. Ogling her in those shorts would be the death of him. "Come in and shut the door," she said impatiently after he had just stood there like an idiot.

He walked into her small apartment and closed the door, looking around curiously. The whole place was roughly the size of the kitchen back at his parents' mansion. He could see her bedroom from where he stood, the bathroom, and he was standing in the small living room. There was only a long couch and a TV in a medium sized case that also held books. She didn't have many things, but Baralai supposed that it was hard for her because she was taking care of herself without any adults there to help her. He jumped when she spoke from really close.

"What are you doing here?" Paine asked.

He sighed heavily. "Look, I don't want things to be tense between us. We had been getting along so well. Why don't we just start over?" he asked quietly.

Paine glared at him. "Why did you follow me? Couldn't we have spoken at school?"

"You followed me to my place. This makes us even," he replied as he watched a black cat saunter out of her room and towards him. The creature curled around his legs and rubbed his face against his foot for attention. "This is Valentine?" he asked Paine as he picked up the feline.

She nodded and motioned to the couch. "Have a seat," she said, watching her traitorous cat purr when Baralai scratched him behind the ears. They sat in comfortably silence for a while, before Valentine jumped onto her lap and rubbed his head against her hand. "Is there something else about you that I should know and that no one else knows?" Paine asked him seriously.

Baralai was quiet for a moment. "Let's… get to know each other. From the beginning. I will tell you about me, but you have to tell me about you as well. Deal?"

She gave him a scrutinizing look, but then nodded. "Deal. But _you _have to understand that there may be some things about me that I don't want to tell you about because they're too private," Paine replied.

He nodded and smiled. "I understand that, and there may be some things about me that I won't share either, but that doesn't mean that I'm hiding something. Clear?"

Paine managed a small smile. "You start."

"Okay. This is going to be a bit weird because no one talks about it at home, but I guess I have to start somewhere… My father placed great expectations on my brother, and he took them on bravely. He was my father's pride and joy. But then… when it came down to it, my brother was different, and my father couldn't accept it. It turns out that he was… that he… he had a _boyfriend_. My father insulted him, and they had a big fight, and my brother just left and never came back. I didn't care. He was my brother and I had always looked up to him for advice. He hasn't called or written or anything. I don't even know if he's alive," he said quietly.

Paine's eyes were wide with surprise, but she offered no comment. So his father was one of _those_ men who thought that being different was a sin. She listened on as he kept speaking.

"Since then, my father has placed all of those burdens on me now. He wants me to take over the business and follow in his footsteps, but I don't want to. I just don't have the heart to tell him that I want something different. That I want to make something of myself on my own and without his influences or his money. He's trying to influence all aspects of my life and I had to almost beg him to let me go to a normal school instead of some super intelligent, all guy school," he muttered, almost visibly shuddering. "I met my ex-girlfriend because of him. She was the daughter of one of his rich partners, and he wanted us together to keep on the good graces of his partner. I liked her though, so there was no problem there. But still, at one point, I think he was happier that I was with her more than I was."

Paine listened curiously, rubbing her cat's soft fur almost absently. She had never realized he had such different views from other people with money. She let out a slow breath when he stopped talking and turned to her. "My turn, right?" He nodded and smiled. "Well, the guys must have told you by now, but my mother died when I was fifteen. She… she was in a car accident on a rainy night when she was on her way back home from work. That was the worst night of my life. I ran away from the foster home they placed me in, even though the people weren't all that bad with me. I just… I just wanted to be alone and away from the place that held all the memories of my mother and my father's abandonment. I came here, and I met Marta, the owner of the restaurant downstairs. I was looking for a job, and she gave it to me. She also let me stay here in this place because she owns the building. She's taken care of me when I'm sick, and she feeds me even though she doesn't have to. She's been a good surrogate mother," she said fondly.

Baralai watched the blank expression on her face, but could see her eyes were shining with feeling. He'd never seen lovelier eyes before. He smiled when Valentine rolled onto his back and pawed Paine's hand. She kept speaking, not noticing that his look had changed into something far more deep and caring.

"Even though my mother is gone, life hasn't been completely evil with me. I have a place to live, food to eat, and my own transportation. Besides, who needs a mother and annoying sisters when I have Yuna, Lulu, and Rikku?" she asked with a faint smirk.

"What about that guy… Buddy?" Baralai asked.

Paine shrugged. "Buddy wasn't all too bad. He was my first serious boyfriend two years ago. I was a junior and he was a senior. Though his jealousy was aggravating, he wasn't all too bad with me. He treated me well until that final confrontation we had and Buddy accused me of cheating on him with… _Wakka_," she ended with a derisive laugh. "Wakka is like a brother to me, and he loves Lulu so much. It's so ridiculous. So I ended it with a punch. He's apologized about a hundred times, but there's no way I'm taking him back. Oh, and don't tell Wakka that he was part of the argument. I never told the gang how exactly my fight with Buddy went," she said with a sigh. "I've never been good at school, but I go because I don't want to be a drop-out and because Yuna and Marta nag me that I have to make something of myself. Marta says that I have to become rich and famous in order to help her retire so that she can relax on a Kilika beach with a coconut in her hand." She laughed fondly. "And I'll do it, because she's been so good to me."

"That's nice of her. But… she's too trusting. I was able to get your apartment number and entrance in here with just a smile. You should tell her not to give out your information to just anyone," he stated.

Paine gave him a dark look but nodded. "Don't you have anywhere else to be? We've been here for a while now."

Baralai shook his head. "Believe it or not, this nerd has no curfew. My mother only nags me about not having a serious girlfriend again," he replied.

She let out a snort and stood, setting the cat on the couch. Baralai followed and smiled at her. Before she knew what had happened, he had leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, leaving the spot tingling. "For what it's worth, I think it's amazing of you to have moved forward on you own. I'm sure your mother would've been proud of you," he said softly, those amazing colored eyes open and honest.

Paine stared at him with eyes a bit wide as he smiled and moved towards the door. Though she hadn't quite said it, Baralai had taken her words as an invitation to leave. Maybe she didn't want to talk to him anymore. She snapped out of her stupor when he opened the door. "Hey," she called. "Since you don't have anything to do. You want to try the food downstairs?" she asked quickly.

Baralai turned to look at her and noticed she wouldn't meet his eyes. He smiled inwardly at how pretty she looked. He nodded. "That would be great," he replied.

Paine flashed him a smirk and walked into her bedroom to change into a pair of sweats that hugged her hips but hid her legs from his view. Then she grabbed her keys and walked with him down to the restaurant. They sat in the back, at a table that was at a distance from the others. They had another pleasant conversation until the sun went down and with Marta gushing about how handsome he was and that him being smart was a great bonus.

"We should do this again," Baralai said, having a faint sense of déjà vu.

"We should," Paine replied with a smile. "See you later nerd."

Baralai chuckled and nodded. "Take care of yourself."

"I will," she said as they exited the restaurant and he began to walk towards the car still waiting for him.

"Baralai?" she called. He turned to her just as he opened the door of the car. "Can we study this Friday?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "That would be good."

Paine nodded and walked back into the restaurant after their eyes held for a moment longer. Baralai smiled to himself and realized that for the first time in his life, he wouldn't mind telling his mother about a girl he liked at school.

…

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Hey, how was that? You still think they're moving to fast? I don't know, but I like the pace they're going at, besides, this fic would be dry without some Baralai/Paine action. I know that Paine was OOC, but there's a point to it, so don't flip-out on me. Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapters, and I would like to apologize for the grammatical errors and typos, I'll fix them soon. Let me know what you thought peeps, your opinions mean a lot to me and it's great to hear when you like the fic. Thanks again for your time and have a great weekend!

Byebye

Joey

P.S. Can anyone recommend a good Baralai/Paine fic? I think I've read most of the ones on this site, but I can't seem to find any others, if there are any. See ya!


	4. Ulterior Motives

………………………………………

**Ulterior Motives**

…………………………………………

They were friends again.

Paine hadn't realized that not being on good terms with Baralai would've affected her so much. She had been so angry when he hadn't even tried to speak to her that day they had their falling out that she had resolved to forget they had started to get along so well. But then when he had showed up at her door, it had been a pleasant surprise, though it had annoyed her at first. And she had to admit that it had flattered her that he had been checking her out.

She rolled over onto her side on her bed and saw that Valentine was curled up beside the pink chocobo; he was giving her a lazy look, his yellow-green eyes half-lidded. She took the chocobo and looked at it, wondering what it would've been like had she accepted his advances. But she wouldn't be Paine if she hadn't shot him down right off the bat. But did she want to resist them now? He wasn't even trying to get at her anymore.

She frowned to herself as something occurred to her. Did she have a… a… she couldn't even think it in her head. A crush? No, no, she couldn't have a crush. Crushes were for little kids. She didn't get crushes. She'd _had_ a crush on Buddy, and that had been why they had ended up a couple; she'd been sixteen back then, and with that _other guy_, she'd felt more curiosity than anything else and that had been last year. Maybe she'd felt a bit of lust, but she didn't want to dwell on him now.

Her thoughts returned to Baralai and the kiss he had planted on her cheek. She smirked to herself and sighed heavily. The last thing she needed right now was a guy to obsess over. Though it had been a boost to her ego when he had been staring at her legs and back, they were just friends, and as his friend Paine decided that it was her job to push Leblanc away from him. Nothing good could come from him being exposed to that type of trash, she thought with an evil grin. And she'd up one on the blonde.

……

During their physics class a few days later, Paine found that she was actually understanding the class. That and the class project they were working on, mixing certain types of liquids to get an explosive reaction wasn't as hard as writing the scientific equations and all that mathematical rot. Baralai grinned from behind his goggles and they looked up as their experiment popped and went up in a cloud of smoke, turning an electric blue. That meant they had done it right.

There was a whoop from Tidus and Rikku as their experiment did the same, only it turned pink. "Was it supposed to turn pink?" Tidus asked Rikku. She shrugged and raised her hand so that the teacher could take a look at their work.

"How do you think you did on the test in math?" Baralai asked Paine as they ignored the other pops coming from several experiments.

Paine shrugged. "I don't know. Hopefully I got a C at least. I studied the night before, but the following morning I only remembered about half of the things I needed to know."

"You'll do good, just wait until we get our test back," he said with conviction.

Paine just nodded and went back to writing the notes on the board she hadn't completed before they had started the experiments. They were notes for the upcoming test, she thought irritably. The teacher passed by every desk to take in the experiment and he gave the two an A for getting everything done correctly and for being the only ones in the class who had accomplished the correct color.

"Okay, I'm going to ask one partner to go to the sink to throw out their lab projects at the sink. Don't worry, they're not dangerous and will cause no harm to the city water supply," said the teacher when some of the more environment friendly students complained.

"I'll take it," Paine said, pulling off her gloves and grabbing the beaker. She'd have to wash it, and water and leather didn't really work well with each other. She walked over to the line of students waiting for the sink and emptied the beaker in the sink when someone bumped into her back forcefully. She dropped the glass beaker and it shattered. She cursed and turned to glare at Leblanc, who had been the one to cause the accident. Paine picked up the glass carefully and wrapped it in a few paper towels, but as she passed Leblanc, the blonde pushed her more forcefully. In order to not drop the glass, her grip tightened and she felt a sting in the center of her palm.

"What the hell is your problem?" Paine spat as she threw the glass into the trash.

"What's going on?" the teacher asked as Paine shoved Leblanc back with her right hand.

"This klutz broke her glass beaker and is blaming it on me!" Leblanc exclaimed.

Paine scowled. "Yeah, and the two times you shoved me had nothing to do with it?" she asked, showing the teacher her bleeding hand.

"My dear girl! You need to go to the nurse's office!" he exclaimed. Baralai came over and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, pressing it gently to Paine's hand. "Take your things and take her to the nurse's office," he said, writing out a note and giving it to Baralai.

Baralai nodded and grabbed his book bag and Paine's backpack and gloves before walking out the door with her, but not before they heard the teacher give Leblanc detention for pushing Paine. As they walked down the hall, he carried their things and checked her hand to see if it had stopped bleeding.

Paine watched his face as he used the handkerchief to clean away the bit of blood that had trailed under her hand as she held her palm upright. She hissed in pain when his fingers pushed the cloth into her wound, but said nothing to him. They arrived at the nurse office quickly and the woman 'tutted' quietly as she cleaned the wound and then wrapped her hand tightly in white gauze. "The clean isn't too bad, but if you need to clean the wound and replace the gauze, use this. If you are in more pain, go see a doctor," she said, handing over some sterilized cleaning strips and some gauze.

"Thank you," Paine said, placing the things into her backpack after Baralai opened it. Through it all, he had sat with her, silently wincing every time she did, and he looked all too relieved when it was time to leave. "Want to go back to class?" she asked him, trying to ignore her throbbing hand.

"We aced the project and class is almost over. What's the point?" he asked.

She smirked. "You've been hanging around me too long," she stated.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Baralai replied, flashing her a smile. "You know, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. I just don't want you to take it the wrong way," he said as they walked slowly towards the cafeteria.

Paine gave him a suspicious look and nodded. "What is it?"

"I wanted to know if you were free to go to the beach this weekend. My parents own a home by the beach and it's free this weekend. We can leave on Friday night if you'd like."

She mulled it over for a few minutes. "You mean just the two of us?"

He nodded, his hazel eyes looking brighter in the sun. "Yes. Unless that's too uncomfortable for you. And don't start getting the wrong idea. We'll be going as friends," he said with an easy grin.

Paine looked at him in amusement and then smiled. "Okay, we can go Friday night. I promised Marta that I would help out for a few hours after school."

"That's okay. How do you help her out?"

"Sometimes I help her cook, or when it's really busy, I wait on tables," she replied. Baralai nodded and remained silent for a moment. Paine just watched him silently before something occurred to her. "Have you told anyone else about your plans for this weekend?" she asked slowly.

Baralai shook his head. "My parents are really picky about having many people over at once, even more so when they're unsupervised. Another thing, they are really crazy when it comes to behavior and that's what I don't like. I don't want anyone to feel bad over something my father will more than likely criticize. My mother isn't so bad. Like I said, all she'll care about is which of the ladies is my future wife or something. Otherwise, I would've invited everyone to go with us," he said with a heavy sigh.

Paine smirked. His mother sounded like an interesting character. "Rikku will never let us hear the end of it."

"Maybe we can plan something for next weekend; somewhere we can all go and not have to worry about any parents," he said and she nodded. "So, I'll pick you up at around eight on Friday?"

"Yeah," she replied just before the bell rang and they walked into the cafeteria. They were the first in line for their food and as such got first pick of all the food. Baralai grabbed a turkey sandwich with a fruit salad, while Paine went for a pizza slice and a Caesar salad. They were already eating when their friends arrived and sat with them. They had all been worried about Paine's hand, and almost all of them had to restrain her from lunging at Leblanc when the blonde passed by with a smug smirk on her face.

Then, during their art class, Paine told the girl's about Baralai's proposal and they almost screamed in excitement for her. "Calm down," she hissed, glaring at the people who turned to look at them in curiosity. "Don't try to make this a big deal, because it's not. We're going as friends and that's it. I just… need to borrow a swimsuit," she said reluctantly. As Rikku opened her mouth, Paine interrupted quite rudely. "No g-strings, thongs, or anything even remotely sleazy. I'll wear a two piece as long as the bottoms are shorts and the top better be enough to cover me properly."

Rikku pouted. "You're no fun. But I know the perfect bathing suits you can wear."

At Paine's blank look, Yuna explained. "You can't wear the same bathing suit both days. It'll smell."

Lulu just laughed softly at the look on Paine's face. "Remember to wear sunscreen, and don't drink. You don't want to make a fool of yourself even if you're only friends," she whispered.

"I only drink alone or at parties," said Paine with a smirk.

"Oh, and remember to swim right after you eat!" said Rikku.

"What?!" The three girls asked in unison, turning to look at her.

"So that he can run into the water to save you if you get a cramp. You can even fake that you're not breathing so that he can give you mouth to mouth."

Even though it was the stupidest thing Paine had ever heard, she laughed. "I don't think so," she said finally.

"I know. It's a little overboard, but you can't deny that it's a good idea," Rikku said with a grin.

"You know," said Yuna, "just because that's how you got Gippal to notice you doesn't mean it's going to work for anyone else."

"Don't speak to me about that—that one-eyed moron," Rikku said darkly.

The other three girls looked at each other in question. Never, _never_, had they heard Rikku refer that way about her boyfriend. Which meant that they had had a fight. Rikku and Gippal never fought either, so this was a huge turn of events. "Okay, spill," said Lulu seriously.

Rikku sighed heavily and told them what had happened, not knowing that her boyfriend was telling his friends almost at the same exact moment.

…

"I thought she was going to say no," Baralai admitted to the guys after telling him about his plans with Paine.

"But she said yes, and that's good, ya?" asked Wakka. All the guys nodded.

"Maybe I can change her mind about dating me while we're over there. Sorry you guys can't go, but my parents will flip out and ruin the entire weekend. They have ways of knowing things like these. I have no idea how, but having more than six people at our house without me telling them would be a bad idea. Besides, they're too picky and they would never let a bunch of teenagers stay alone at a beach house."

"Don't worry about it. If you can actually get Paine to look at you the way you want, we won't feel so left out," said Tidus with a grin.

"But maybe you guys could clear your schedule so that we can go somewhere next weekend with the girls," Baralai said.

"To go where?" asked Gippal.

Baralai shrugged. "Anywhere. You guys pick and we'll go."

"Maybe we can go see a blitz game at Luca," Tidus said, running a hand through his hair as he sat back in his chair.

"What about the girls?" Wakka asked.

Gippal nodded. "They won't like that. It's _unromantic_," he mimicked bitterly.

The other three stared at him with wide eyes. "No way!" Tidus exclaimed after a moment of examining his friend.

"What?" Baralai asked in alarm.

"He and Rikku had a fight!" said Wakka in a whisper. Gippal scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why?" asked Tidus incredulously.

"My pop liked her, mum didn't. I wanted Ri to go to dinner at my place again, but she won't do it because my mom made her feel bad last time. We got into an argument because of it. I always thought it would be the other way around because my mom thought she was pretty. But as soon as she found out who her father is, mom flipped out and won't tell me why. Can you believe it? Our first real fight since we got together, and it has to be because of my parents," Gippal said with a heavy sigh.

The other three didn't know what to say to him. Wakka patted his shoulder twice but offered no words. "Lu and I haven't fought in almost a week," he said finally, breaking the silence and sounding incredibly proud.

Tidus shook his head and grinned. "_That_ deserves a medal," he said, and the guys snickered.

"So, do you guys have any advice for me?" Baralai asked him, noting that Gippal still looked down. It was sad, to see a guy so upbeat and positive look so wilted. His eyes darted to the girls across the room and noticed that Rikku was her usual self, all positive and bubbly. She didn't look troubled at all.

"Don't belch in front of her," Tidus said with a snicker. "She's probably the type of girl who isn't grossed out, but still, you're on very thin ice here, and anything that you do that she doesn't like could end up breaking that ice."

Baralai nodded and tried not to laugh at their first piece of advice. "You're in shape, right? No flab? Do you have defined muscles?" Gippal asked.

Baralai laughed. "I'm starting to get a little scared at the questions, but yeah, I like to keep in shape."

"Then wear your shirt off as much as possible. And since it's the beach, you can get away with it and she can't even get mad," the blond replied. "If she stares, you'll know she likes to see you without your shirt off."

"Any advice, Wakka?" Baralai asked the quiet guy next to him. Their advice was very amusing.

He shrugged. "Just don't come on too hard with the whole seduction. You'll make her mad instead of getting her scared. She'll beat the stuffing out of you and you'll miss your chance. Ya?"

"All right guys, then wish me luck," Baralai said with a nervous grin.

……

Rikku bit her lip as she sat on the porch of her home. Though her family wasn't the richest in the neighborhood, her father took good care of her and her brother and they had nice commodities. Cid had always provided for them, even though he knew very little about raising two kids on his own. Her pops liked Gippal, even though he had threatened to castrate him if he ever made her sad. Maybe it was better that she didn't tell pops that she and Gippal had had a little spat. Though she was mad at her boyfriend right now, Rikku couldn't fathom not having him in her life.

She blinked her green eyes and looked over when she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her. She was about to tell off Brother for not leaving her alone the way she had asked, but she realized that this was not her brother. She looked away from him as he sat down next to her with a heavy sigh. They were quiet for a long, unnerving moment.

"I miss you," he murmured while keeping his distance.

Rikku smiled faintly. "We haven't spoken since this morning."

"It's felt like the hours are truly days. Look… I understand your reluctance to see my family again, but I want my mom to see that we're serious. I want her to realize how much you mean to me," Gippal said softly.

The beads in her hair clinked as she turned to look at him. "You really mean that?" she asked softly.

He nodded and wrapped a hesitant arm around her shoulders, drawing her in towards his chest. Rikku smiled slightly and wrapped her arms around his slim waist. "Of course I do, baby-cakes," he said with a grin.

"But what if time passes and we decide to get married and all that and your mother still doesn't like me?" she asked against his chest.

Gippal shook his head. "Then it won't matter. I love my mom, but she has to respect the girl I love too," he said before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Rikku was warmed all the way to the tips of her toes at his words. Though they rarely spoke of love, it always made her feel so giddy to hear him say the words before she did. "I love you too," she murmured before pressing her lips gently to his.

He responded to the kiss quickly, easily, his hands moving to her hair and behind her neck. She made a noise in the back of her throat and Gippal would've echoed her, but there was the sound of a throat clearing that forced them apart, breathing a bit uneven. They looked over to see Cid, Rikku's father standing at the back door, arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"Kid, you know I like you, more than I care to admit, but having you feeling up my daughter in our house is just something I don't want to see. Keep it clean or get the hell out of my house," he said darkly.

Gippal stood and nodded. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I really meant no disrespect," he said quickly.

Rikku giggled and stifled it when Gippal gave her an exasperated look, asking her for help. She stood and nearly skipped over to her father. "Come on pops, you forget that you and mom were my age when you were making Brother, as disgusting as that is. Gippal and I were just making up over a misunderstanding. Don't get all pissy," she said with a disarming smile.

Cid rolled his eyes and turned to go. "I expect you both to be smarter than me, brats. I don't want to be a grandfather just yet," he said before he was gone.

Rikku turned to Gippal and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tip-toes to accomplish it. "Did you hear that? He doesn't want to be a grandfather _yet_, but he's thought about it," she said with a giggle.

Gippal shook his head. "I don't want kids yet either. First you and I need to grow up a bit more," he said, kissing her lips gently again.

Rikku smiled and nodded. "Sounds good to me," she whispered, closing her eyes and breathed in his scent. Gippal was all hers and she couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend. Especially when he was willing to make the first step in making up. He was a rare breed of man that was almost extinct, she thought with a small snicker.

…………

Paine felt a prickle down the back of her neck which usually meant that she was being watched. She looked up from where she was sitting on a stool by the cash register, reading a magazine. Business at the restaurant had finally dwindled down and Marta had had her handling the cash register after she had been the waitress for about two hours. Her mouth curved into a half-smile when she saw that Baralai was at the door, watching her.

She stood and walked over to give Marta a half-hug, letting her know that she was leaving for the rest of the weekend. "Take care of yourself and don't do anything you shouldn't do," Marta said as she walked them out to Baralai's car.

"Don't worry about that," Paine muttered, not even realizing that he had opened the car door for her. "I'll see you Sunday night, okay?"

Marta nodded and smiled. "Have fun, Paine, dear." She turned to the young man as he closed the door to the car. "Take care of her, you hear? She's like a daughter to me and I expect you to respect her like the gentleman that you are."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a smile. "I'll have her back safe and sound," he said before walking around to the driver's side of the luxury car and getting in. "You ready?" he asked Paine.

She nodded and looked at the car silently. "This car yours?"

He shook his head. "My dad has given me something bigger that I rarely used. I prefer smaller cars," he admitted, sitting back against the seat. Though it was a smaller car, it had black leather seats, an impressing array of gadgets that she didn't even know what they were for, and smelled of money. Not literally of course, but damn close. He drove in near silence, asking random questions and listening to music for the next forty minutes it took them to get to the beach house.

Paine wasn't much in a talking mood and only answered the questions Baralai made without asking any of her own. She was a bit tired, she could admit, and was fighting not to nod off at any moment. Baralai pulled up to a house that was at a short walking distance to the shore. It was a two-story glass house. It was stylish on the outside and even included its own pool—though with the beach so close by, Paine wondered why they had bothered to put it in—and had a hot tub as well. She followed Baralai as he keyed in the security code at the pad by the security fence and held the door for her.

"I like this place," Baralai commented. "More even than the mansion. I don't know if it's because I puts me closer to the ocean, but the sounds sooth me when I'm stressed."

"It's nice," she replied as they stepped into the house and she could take in the interior. It was spacious and very scarce with the furniture, thought it gave a sense of peace with whites and dark mahogany. "Really nice."

"Come with me, I'll show you your room," he said as he turned on a few lights and lead the way down a long corridor. The room he showed her was very nice and matched the rest of the décor. A huge bed made of mahogany with white sheets, a vanity next to the closet, and a couch and desk by the sliding door that lead to the back deck and had a grand view of the ocean.

"Is the water cold on this part of the shore?" Paine asked him.

"You want to go swimming now?" Baralai asked her with a smile. She only nodded once. "The water is lukewarm at this time of night, but the weather gets cooler. If you want to swim, you can use the pool. It's warmed."

Paine nodded. "I'll do that then," she said as she placed her bag over the desk. "Will you join me?" she asked as he turned to go.

"I'm kind of hungry, so I will sadly decline and go see what I can order. Would you like anything in particular?" he asked.

She shrugged and shook her head. "Anything you get is fine," she said with a small smile. He smiled back and walked out of the room, shutting the door.

Baralai sighed to himself and wondered what he had been thinking when he had invited her over, so that they could be alone. _Alone. _He had no idea what to talk to her about now. They'd covered most of their childhood, and their early adolescence. What now? He sighed to himself and walked over to the cabinet where his mother kept menu's from different restaurants. While he grabbed a bottle of water and perused random menu's, he looked up and did a double take.

Baralai cleared his throat and tried not to stare as Paine walked towards the door that lead to the pool room. She was dressed in a two-piece bathing suit that showed off her long torso and legs. Though he had already seen her legs before, his eyes were riveted to them again as she walked towards the deep end of the pool. Then she dived and he finally released a breath he hadn't even been aware he had been holding. Damn, she was hot.

He finally settled for a restaurant and called to order the food. Maybe being alone with her hadn't been such a good idea, he thought once again.

………

Paine took in a deep breath of fresh air and smiled as she took in the beach early in the morning. After having dinner with Baralai out in the terrace, they had watched a few movies in the flatscreen in the sitting room for the rest of the night before going to bed. He had some strange tastes in movies, but she hadn't objected to any of them. Now she stood in a pair of shorts and a sweat shirt, out in the terrace, taking in the air and the sunrise. Sleeping in a strange bed had cut her hours short.

Her mind was in utter peace, no thoughts running through her head at the moment. The sliding door to the far right opened and she looked over, seeing Baralai step out in a muscle shirt and sweats. She smirked when she noticed that his hair was still messy.

"Bed hair can be a real drag," she commented, making him jump and turn to look at her with wide eyes. Then he smiled and ran a hand through his hair until it was almost normal.

He walked over to her and then turned his soft caramel-colored eyes back to the sun rising. "I didn't think you'd be up this early," he commented.

Paine shrugged and took a lung-full of fresh air. "I'm an early riser, unless I've been out partying or I have a hang-over," she said matter-of-factly.

"And this happens often?" he asked in amusement.

She smirked and shook her head. "No. Only because I party with the girls and Rikku can hardly hold her liquor. Yuna doesn't drink, so that leaves me and Lulu. Left to our own devices, we set things on fire and try to shave Wakka's head a few times every time it happens. Wakka has threatened to shave our heads too in revenge if we touch his hair."

Baralai let out a chuckle. "That's very interesting. You're such a party animal. Anyway, would you like some coffee, or something to eat?"

"You're going to cook?" she asked him, red eyes glinting in amusement.

"Actually… I was thinking that maybe you could cook something," he said slowly.

Paine frowned. "I have a tendency to add too much salt to my eggs. I don't think you'll like them that way. I can cook my basics, but maybe it would be better if we went out to eat something?"

Baralai shrugged. "I've watched my dad barbeque. We can stop by the supermarket to buy some things so that we can make our own lunch. How about that?" he asked.

"That sounds great," she said as they walked back into the house to chance.

…

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Paine asked as she and Baralai stood before a barbeque grill, trying to figure out how to work out the knobs to get the thing working.

Baralai gave her a look. "I'm not a complete moron, you know. I just… forgot how to get it to the right temperature. Besides, we can't eat outside for the rest of the week. I want normal, homemade food," he replied as he finally saw the grill turn on. "I got it," he said with a grin. "Pass me the steaks, will you please?"

Paine nodded and handed the plate over. There was plain white rice cooking inside and they had bought some type of coleslaw salad at the store. She just hoped they didn't end up blowing up the house just because he wanted "homemade food."

Against herself, she let her eyes wander over his bare back and down to his ass. She raised a brow in interest and cleared her throat when he turned and almost caught her looking. She darted her eyes to the ocean and let out a sigh. She was having fun, she could admit. Baralai was sweet and funny and he made her feel good about herself. When they had gone swimming a few hours after breakfast, he had stared at her when she had been wearing another one of the borrowed bathing suits—which Yuna had insisted hadn't even been worn by them because the weather had been too cold recently.

She had stared when he had taken off his shirt too, but even though he thought she hadn't seen his reaction, she knew that he had seen hers, if only because the faint smirk on his face had been an indication that he had. Damn it. He was cute, she could admit, but the way he acted towards her was… unsettling. He treated her nice and she liked it. Even though he had told her that he would no longer pursue her, Paine felt that he had some type of hidden agenda.

"Excuse me," he said, brushing past her, his fingers lingering on her hip before he moved back into the house.

Paine shivered to herself and watched his retreating back until he was out of sight. Okay, the touching was being a little less subtle and she didn't know whether she should feel annoyed or completely flattered. She stood in the sand just past the stairs that lead to the terrace, her eyes now on the setting sun. The entire day had passed having fun and being comfortable with this guy that she now knew she had a crush on. A _big_ crush on, no matter how childish it sounded.

Well… maybe it was time for her to do something about it.

…

Baralai stared at her from the kitchen and let his eyes check her out without the fear of getting caught. God, she was a pretty little thing. Dangerous, but he loved that about her. She wasn't very tall, and she was slim, but her attitude made her larger than life, and that was something else he admired of her. Not to mention that she had killer curves that he had risked dismemberment to touch a while ago. She hadn't said a thing or overreacted when his fingers had touched her hip. He had been expecting a fist to his jaw, but nothing had happened. She hadn't even flinched at his touch. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

He turned off the flame for the rice and walked back out with a bottle of water for her and for himself. He came up behind her and took in the scent of the sea on her skin from where he stood. Her hair was pushed back from her usual style and was still damp from their swim in the water. He closed his eyes for a moment, but when he opened them, his vision was filled with rosy cheeks from the sun and puzzled, red eyes.

"Baralai?" she asked softly.

He managed a small, embarrassed smile. "I brought you some water," he said, trying not to blush at having her catch him like some stalker smelling her hair.

"Really?" she asked haughtily. He swallowed hard and nodded, but when he handed over the bottle, Paine's fingers touched his more than was necessary. He only now noticed how close they really were; their noses were nearly touching.

Just another inch and their lips would meet.

Paine closed her eyes at the gentle brush of his lips on hers, but the kiss never went any deeper than that because there was a throat clearing from behind them, and they broke apart. She blinked rapidly and tried to force some air into her lungs, not even realizing that she had been holding her breath. Stupid, yes, but then again she had been holding her breath in anticipation.

"Crap," Baralai breathed. "Our weekend is officially over," he muttered, eyeing her in disappointment at them having been interrupted.

"Who are they?" Paine asked as she took in the man and the woman at the sliding door. Though just by looking at them, she already knew who they were.

"My parents," Baralai replied darkly.

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Hehehe, I know you're going to hate me for taking so long to update and leaving such an evil cliffhanger in its place. But this had to get done. So more Paine-Baralai interaction, and some Rikku/Gippal as well. I was asked by a reader to incorporate more couples into the story. I'm really trying, but I don't much feel an inspiration for Tidu's and Yuna, even though I do like them as a couple and as characters. Lulu and Wakka can be a little more easier, but I rather like Rikku/Gippal just as much as Paine/Baralai. But I'll try. Thanks for the positive reviews from the last chapter and I hope everyone liked this chapter! Have a great weekend!

Byebye

Joey

P.S. Though I know that no one has asked, I'm going to explain anyway. I don't hate Leblanc or anything like that, but she's not particularly my favorite character. She's going to be the antagonist for a few chapters, but then someone else is going to come in, even though that person isn't evil in the game. Sorry for the grammar errors in this chapter, I'll fix them later!


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